More than 1m Chinese children suffer from cerebral palsy

China is estimated to have about 1 to 1.2 million children suffering from cerebral palsy, experts said during a campaign started by the One Foundation and Beijing Normal University's China Philanthropy Research Institute.

Cerebral palsy is a group of conditions that cause severe physical disability and delays in cognitive development.

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About 70 percent of children with cerebral palsy live in remote and poverty-stricken areas in China, meaning that they have little access to treatment and rehabilitation training, experts said.

In recent years, the government and society have made major progress in helping children with cerebral palsy, but there remains a lot to be done, said Yang Peng, the secretary-general of One Foundation, a charity started by popular actor Jet Li.

The campaign, which aims to raise awareness to cerebral palsy, is also calling for specific legislation to help afflicted children.

"Chinese society is becoming richer and richer. But a child with cerebral palsy, or a family that has a child with cerebral palsy, is drawn into an abyss of misery," Yang says. "We hope the country will legislate to help families and children trapped in this tragedy."